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Step 1
The first, and most exciting way to win a UFC fight, is the technical knockout (TKO). A fight is won by TKO when the referee determines one of the fighters is no longer able to intelligently defend himself. This could be because the losing fighter is unconscious, but it is also when the fighter is taking hit after hit or in an inescapable lock and is obviously not defending himself.
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Step 2
Another way to win a UFC fight is by submission. This is when you make your opponent tap out. Tapping out is physically or verbally signaling that a fighter is done with the fight. Submission typically occurs due to a painful lock, choke or hold that the fighter does not think he can free himself from before serious damage occurs. Some examples are the kimora, the ankle lock and the rear naked choke. The losing fighter can tap out ending the fight to save himself from being rendered unconscious or sustaining serious injury.
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Step 3
The third most common way to win a UFC fight is by decision via the scorecard. This occurs when the fight has one all three rounds (or five if it’s a championship fight) and the three judges have to decide the winner.
Each round the fighter who wins the round gets 10 points (minus any penalties due to fouls), and the fighter who loses the round gets 9 or lower. A fighter can win a round by landing the most blows, being more aggressive and octagon control. Once the fight is over the judge’s scores are added up and a decision is made.
If all three judges pick the same fighter as the winner, it is a unanimous decision. If two judges pick one fighter and one judge picks the other, it is a split decision. If two judges pick one fighter and the other judge says the fight was a draw, it is a majority decision.
The decision could also be a draw if all three judges decide its a draw (unanimous draw), two of the judges say it’s a draw (majority draw) or if one judge says draw and the other two choose each of the fighters as the winner (split draw). -
Step 4
The next few ways of winning a UFC fight are less common, but do happen once in a while. The first of these is to win by technical decision. A fighter wins by technical decision when his opponent is too injured to continue fighting. The injured fighter may want to fight and be able to defend himself, but the nature of his injury is so severe that the referee stops the fight before it gets worse.
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Step 5
A fighter can also win when his opponent is disqualified. If your opponent keeps violating the rules of the octagon, the referee can disqualify him giving you the win. Some violations of the rules include eye gouging, hitting the back of the head or the always cringe-inducing groin shot.
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Step 6
The final, and least exciting, way to win a UFC fight is by forfeit. A fighter can forfeit the match if he is suffering from illness or injury preventing him from fighting. It still counts as a win for you even if no fight occurred.
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Step 7
There are also a couple of ways that a fight can end that don’t result in a win for either fighter. A fight can be end as a technical, which differs from a regular draw decided on by the judges. A technical draw is when the referee stops the fight because both fighters are too injured to fight.
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Step 8
Fights can also be ended as no contest. A fight is ended as no contest by the referee if both fighters are violating the rules. The fight could also be considered no contest if one of the fighters is unable to keep fighting due to injury sustained as the result of a foul.
